The Four Horsemen of This Apocalypse How Racism, Xenophobia, Violence and Injustice Converged in the Pandemic to Change the World
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
The Four Horsemen of This Apocalypse How Racism, Xenophobia, Violence and Injustice Converged in the Pandemic to Change the World Michael J. Sheridan, PhD Terrence M. Winston Special Advisor for Diversity & Lead Consultant Wellness Programs Paradigm Time LLC [email protected] [email protected] July 23, 2020 Apocalypse n Apocalupsis - “revealing, disclosure, to take off the cover.” n Information Source: www.GotQuestions.org Pandemic n Pandemos - public; literally of all the people. n From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Xenophobia n Xénos – “stranger" or “foreigner” n Phóbos – “fear” n “One unduly fearful of what is foreign and especially of people of foreign origin” n “Xenophobe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/xenophobe. Accessed 17 Jul. 2020. Apocalypse + Pandemic + Xenophobia n Revealing, disclosure, to take off the cover n All the people (public) n Stranger, foreigner and fear The Significance of This Moment n Social – How will our communities rebuild? Transform? n Political – Who will represent us? n Cultural – Which worldviews will guide our understanding of each other? n Historical – What lessons are we prepared to learn? n Economic – How will resources be allocated for healing? Setting the Frame We All Have Multiple Identities: § That we use to define ourselves § That others use to define us We All Have Internalized Bias: § Bias about groups we don’t belong to § Bias about groups we do belong to “To have bias is to be human. Bias originates evolutionary inclination to distinguish ‘friend’ (someone like me) from ‘foe’ (someone different from me) in order to survive. It is a fundamental way that our minds process information, allowing us to both stay safe and navigate a cacophony of stimulus at a reasonable pace. Our background and experience create the lenses through which we see, interpret, and judge the world. Our natural tendency is to see the world as we are, not as it is. When we are busy or distracted, or feel guilty about our biases, it is more likely that we will act and make decisions from our unconscious. In order to make more objective decisions, we need to create the space to pause and analyze the nature and source of our unconscious judgments. By taking this on, we can create more conscious awareness both individually and organizationally.” Source: www.cookross.com In this presentation, we’re going to be talking about: § Current events relative to racism, especially anti- Black racism § Current events relative to xenophobia, with emphasis on who is (and is not) being seen as “American” § Consider both topics within the context of the Pandemic and increasing polarization § Strategies for positive change, highlighting personal, internal change necessary for collective change Be mindful of… n What’s going on for you as you participate in this training. n Three internal “messengers” that can help with this are: § Your body § Your mind § Your heart Part I: Racism Anti-Black Violence 2.0 A shift in perspective Examples n Strom Thurmond, former Senator from So. Carolina for 48 years, was a staunch and racist segregationist. He had (and financially supported) at least one child (Essie Mae Washington- Williams) with a black woman n “Founding Father” Thomas Jefferson is well- known to have fathered 6 children by enslaved Sally Hemmings, whom he “acquired” as a teen and never freed—even upon his death. Birth of a Nation: From Fay Wray to Amy Cooper Anti-Black propaganda maintains the “status quo” Jan. 24th 2014 – Buro 247 magazine A 400+ Year Head Start Fixing Healing n More “Do’s & Don’ts” n Acknowledging the problems n Creating a timeline for change n Processing new information n Hiring Black & Brown professionals n Embracing the “7 stages of grief” (Attrition warfare) n Engaging the generational trauma n Making Black & Brown people n Developing different therapeutic responsible for shifting models organizational cultures and (re) n Elevating a diverse historical educating White people narrative written by those who have n Miseducation been oppressed and “othered” n Individualizing the problem n Not only defining people by their “trauma” n Non-defensive listening; not taking things personally Questions/Comments? Part II: Xenophobia and the Immigrant/International Student Experience Definitions § Ethnocentrism: “The belief that one's culture is superior to all other cultures; Seeing one’s own culture as the correct way of living.” § Hyper-Nationalism: “Extreme nationalism; the belief in the superiority of one's nation and of the paramount importance of advancing it.” § Nativism: “A policy of favoring native inhabitants as opposed to immigrants” § Xenophobia: “Fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or of anything that is strange or foreign.” n “The Norm”: “A standard of rightness and often righteousness wherein all others are Judged in relation to it.” The Norm includes those who have ability to exert systemic power and control (may not be the numerical majority; examples of nonwhites in South Africa and women worldwide). n “The Other”: “Those who fall outside ‘The Norm,” yet who are defined in relation to it.” The Other are often seen as “abnormal,” “inferior,” “needing help,” etc., and are often marginalized and not able to exert systemic power and control (may not be the numerical minority). Suzanne Pharr, 1997 Lived Experience by Status: “The Norm” Experience n Social Power = Access to resources that enhance one’s chances of getting what one needs or influencing others in order to lead a safe, productive, and fulfilling life. n Privilege = Unearned access to resources (social power) only readily available to some people as a result of their social group membership or the advantages provided by some statuses. Lived Experience by Status: “The Other” Experience u Inequality = Unequal access to resources and influential power needed to lead a safe, productive, and fulfilling life (e.g., haves vs. have-nots; powerful vs. powerless). u Stigma = “To be marked with a label of disgrace.” Results in limited or blocked access to resources (social power) as a result of social group member- ship or disadvantages because of unprivileged statuses. Historical Nativism and “Otherizing” n 1790: Congress passes the Naturalization Act about who should be granted U.S. citizenship – any free white person of “good character” living in U.S. for 2+ years. n 1849: America’s first anti-immigrant political party, the Know-Nothing Party forms, as a backlash to the increasing number of German and Irish immigrants settling in the United States. n 1882: The Chinese Exclusion Act passes, which bars Chinese immigrants from entering the U.S. Beginning in the 1850s, a steady flow of Chinese workers had immigrated to America. n 1907: Amid prejudices that an influx of Japanese workers would cost white workers farming jobs and depress wages, the U.S. and Japan sign a “Gentlemen’s Agreement” to limit Japanese emigration to the U.S. to certain categories of business and professional men. n 1917: The Immigration Act of 1917 establishes a literacy requirement for immigrants entering the country and halts immigration from most Asian countries. n 1924: The Immigration Act of 1924 limits the number of immigrants allowed into the U.S. yearly through nationality quotas. Favors immigration from Northern and Western European countries (Great Britain, Ireland and Germany account for 70% of all available visas). Immigration from Southern, Central and Eastern Europe limited. Completely excludes immigrants from Asia, aside from the Philippines, then an American colony. n 1939: The U.S. turned away 937 passengers, almost all Jewish, on the St. Louis, forcing them to return to Europe. Over 25% of them died in the Holocaust. n 1942: Labor shortages during WWII prompt the U.S. and Mexico to form the Bracero Program, which allows Mexican agricultural workers to enter the U.S. temporarily. The program lasts until 1964. n 1965: The Immigration and Nationality Act ends the national origin quotas enacted in the 1920s; replaced with a 7-category preference system emphasizing family reunification and skilled immigrants. Upon signing the new bill, President Lyndon B. Johnson called the old immigration system “un-American,” and said the new bill would correct a “cruel and enduring wrong in the conduct of the American Nation.” n 1965-1970: Immigration from war-torn regions of Asia, including Vietnam and Cambodia, more than quadrupled. Family reunification became a driving force in U.S. immigration. n 1980: During the Mariel boatlift, roughly 125,000 Cuban refugees make a dangerous sea crossing in overcrowded boats to arrive on the Florida shore seeking political asylum. n 1986: Immigration Reform and Control Act, which allowed permanent residency to almost 3 million people who had lived illegally in the US. Since 1982 or worked certain agricultural jobs; denounced as amnesty. n 1996: Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, which authorized constructions of barriers along part of the U.S.-Mexico border and increased immigration enforcement actions. n 2002: Homeland Security Act created the Dep’t. of Homeland Security and an electronic data system to maintain information on the admission of immigrants and possible grounds for removal from the U.S. n 2012: Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which shielded more than 75200 young adults brought the U.S. as children from deportation. Also granted two-year work permits to those between 15- 30. Still no path to citizenship. Recent History/Current Events § 2017: Proposed American Immigration for Strong Employment (RAISE) Act, which would permanently reduce legal immigration to the U.S. by half by eliminating the diversity visa, eliminating or restricting immediate family and close relatives, imposing a permanent cap of refugees, and replacing current employment-based system with a points-based system. § 2017: Rescinds DACA program; action blocked by Supreme Court on June 18, 2020 as “arbitrary and capricious.” § 2017: Two executive orders curtailing travel/immigration from 6 majority Muslim countries (Chad, Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia) as well as North Korea and Venezuela.